Archived: Mears Care Deva Point

Updated 15 August 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector. The inspection took place over two days on the 11 and 13 June 2017.

The provider was given 24 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. We also asked the registered provider to seek the consent of people at the service to be contacted by the inspector.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We also spoke with commissioners of the service to seek their views. They were complimentary about the care, support and management of the service.

We spoke with nine people who used the service and looked at the corresponding care plan records for seven of those people.

We looked for a variety of records which related to the management of the service such as policies, audits, five recruitment files, staff supervision and training records. We also spoke with the registered manager and five members of the staff team.

Updated 15 August 2017

An announced inspection took place on the 11 and 13 June 2017.

This was the first inspection since the service provider was registered at the location.

Deva Point is purpose built accommodation that is occupied under a tenancy agreement which gives exclusive possession of a home with its own front door to the people that live there. The housing provider is Guinness Partnership Wulvern.

The accommodation is located in a building that has facilities open to the local community such as a fitness centre, hairdresser, bistro, and library and meeting rooms. The property is designed to enable and facilitate the delivery of personal care and support to people now, or when they need it in the future.

The personal care service is provided by Mears Care Ltd and staff based at the site are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This enables support to be delivered at short notice and in an emergency.

There was a registered manager with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the time of the inspection the service delivered personal care to 33 people. The remaining tenants had access to staff in an emergency.

Some people were supported to manage their medication. We found that clear and accurate records of the medicines administered by staff were not always kept. This meant that there was a risk that people may not have their medication as prescribed.

Support was provided by staff who knew people well and met their physical and emotional needs. Staff had taken the time to get to know people well and provided support that was personalised and tailored to individual needs. However, records did not always reflect fully a person’s preferences, wishes, routines and likes/ dislikes.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible However, we made a recommendation the registered provider refers to current best practice guidance in regards to the Mental Capacity Act.

People said that the support from staff was reliable and met their needs. They commented that they were treated with dignity, respect and understanding.

People felt safe due to the support and oversight they received from staff. There were safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Staff were knowledgeable about what actions they would take if abuse was suspected. Incidents were reported and investigated appropriately.

Safe recruitment procedures were followed and staff had the relevant checks from the Disclosure and Barring Service. This meant that people were supported by people of suitable character and skill.

Staff were given regular supervision, appraisal and support. Their developmental needs had been identified and they had undertaken training in order to improve their skills and competence.

The registered manager had active involvement in the service. People who used the service and staff were complimentary about her leadership. There were systems in place to audit aspects of the service. There was on-going monitoring of the management of medicines, daily records, care plans, staff performance etc. These audits were used effectively to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service and to highlight areas for further development. The registered provider had notified the CQC about key events within the service.

The registered provider had recently sent a quality questionnaire to everyone who received a service and these were in the process of being returned: to date positive feedback had been received.